Division I Men

MD1 Notebook: Bucknell Has Hit the Big Time

Bucknell has found it tougher to
schedule top opponents as it has ascended the Division I landscape
under coach Frank Fedorjaka.

Bucknell men's lacrosse coach Frank Fedorjaka is familiar with
the drill. As the Bison have ascended in the Division I landscape
in recent years, Fedorjaka said he has had to work the phones with
increasing frustration, as he searches for top-level opponents to
fill out his schedule and keep his team sharp.

Fedorjaka gets it. The Bison, ranked 16th by Lacrosse Magazine
in the preseason after winning the Patriot League and nearly
upsetting eventual national champion Virginia in the first round of
last year's NCAA tournament, have become unattractive to the big
boys residing outside the conference.

This year's schedule includes one opponent in the preseason top
10. That would be 10th-ranked Villanova. Bucknell was picked as the
overwhelming choice to repeat as the kings of the Patriot
League.

"In the past, if you lost to Bucknell, it killed your season. If
you beat Bucknell, it was no big deal. That's what you were
supposed to do," said Fedorjaka, entering his sixth season in
Lewisburg, Pa.

"That's not the case anymore. We play 12 of the top 31 teams
this year, but no one in the top 10," added Fedorjaka, who was
barely wrong on that count. "We used to have Duke on our schedule.
Then, we lost to them in overtime [in the 2010 season opener] and
they've stopped playing us. We beat Maryland [in 2006], and they've
stopped playing us. It's a little bit irritating to play against
us."

The Bison tend to bother opponents with their aggressive style,
which includes a 10-man ride. Under Fedorjaka, Bucknell has also
become faster and more dangerous on offense. Witness last year's
13-12, overtime loss at Virginia, where the Cavaliers trailed for
much of the second half before rallying to overtake the Bison.

"I called every team in the top 10 [in the offseason] just
looking for a chance to go play them on the road," Fedorjaka
said.

In other words, Bucknell has arrived.

Don't Go Changing ... Or Should We?

John Tillman, Maryland's second-year coach, caused some recent
controversy when he told the Washington Times that, in the interest
of maintaining a strong RPI and strength of schedule, he would
actually consider knocking Navy off of the Terrapins' schedule in
the near future.

Some might consider that committing an act of heresy, since Navy
and Maryland have played 86 times in a series that dates to 1924
and has only been interrupted by World War II. Tillman, who made
his name as an assistant at Navy before leaving to become head
coach at Harvard in 2007, said he means no disrespect to the
Midshipmen or the rivalry. He's also still smarting from last
year's NCAA tournament selection.

The Terps were unseeded after finishing with a 10-4,
regular-season record, and knocked off no. 8 seed North Carolina in
Chapel Hill before advancing to the title game and losing to
Virginia.

A loss to Colgate in the regular-season finale was damaging to
Maryland's postseason position. And victories over Towson, UMBC,
Georgetown and Navy hurt the numbers game on Selection Sunday,
since all four programs were down significantly in 2011. Navy has
missed the NCAAs for two straight years.

"For the purists and the historians, the [rivalry] games are
important. We get it, and we are very sensitive to it," Tillman
said. "I've been on both sides of the Maryland-Navy game. I've seen
the meaning and importance of that game.

"We also have to be careful not to fall into the trap of 'we've
always done things this way.' You have to look at projecting the
impact of every game on your schedule. You have to maintain a focus
on how the game is changing. You've got to stay up with the
times."

Reilly to Cover Big Middies

Third-ranked Johns Hopkins took a major hit on defense last
fall, when sophomore short-stick midfielder Phil Castronova tore
his ACL in a flag football game. His season was over before it
started. Senior Marshall Burkhart has replaced Castronova.

But there is another wrinkle in the defense that ranked sixth in
Division I in 2011 by allowing just 7.25 goals per game. Sophomore
Jack Reilly, who combined with Tucker Durkin and Chris Lightner on
close defense last year, has moved up to the long-stick midfield
position.

Reilly, 6-feet-3, 220 pounds and a tremendous athlete,
essentially auditioned for the job in spots last spring –
such as the night he was moved up to check former Virginia
superstar midfielder Shamel Bratton, with excellent results.

"We need somebody to cover big, dynamic midfielders like
[Virginia fifth-year senior] Colin Briggs and [Princeton sophomore]
Tom Schreiber," Hopkins coach Dave Pietermala said. "Jack has got
the quickness. He's been a really good team defender, and he's a
space-eater between the boxes."